


Goodbye Winter

by jongdaed



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, mermaid au.. kind of, more characters will probably be added as this goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-20 22:27:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9518693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jongdaed/pseuds/jongdaed
Summary: i'm finally writing again!confession time - i actually started writing this at the start of the year but i stopped after a while and now i'm making myself complete it. i'm not done writing the whole story, but i know how i want the plot to progress so it shouldn't take too long to finish this. it's my first chaptered fic, and i wanted it to be a oneshot at first, but in the end i decided it'd be better broken up into chapters. i hope you'll like reading this!





	1. one

 

 

"Humans..." Yerim sighed, looking up at the sky. "Imagine if we could be humans." Joohyun smacked her on the shoulder. "Stop dreaming. And don't go so close to the surface, you want to get into trouble?" Yerim gave Joohyun a sweet smile, "We won't get into trouble, no humans ever come to this side of the beach." Joohyun looks annoyed, but she stays beside Yerim, and Yerim continues her musing.

 

"Can you think of all the things we could do if we were human, Joohyun? The world would be ours!" For a moment, Joohyun actually looks like she's considering it as she stares at the clear blue sky too, but she shakes her head firmly as though she's trying to stop those thoughts from entering her mind. "Maybe that's true, but we'll never know. We'll never become human, Yerim." The firm tone of her voice leaves no room for argument, and Yerim internally sighs as Joohyun begins to swim back down to the depths of the ocean.

 

* * *

 

Being a mermaid isn't nearly as amazing as you'd think. Sure, it's cool that you can breathe underwater, have a pretty tail for your lower half, and you can swim just about anywhere in the ocean. But that's it. You can never leave the ocean. Humans live on land, but they're not limited to it. They can go into the ocean too, just that they can't stay there for long. The ocean is mesmerizing, Yerim will be the first to agree with that, what with all the sea creatures and how wherever you look there doesn't seem to be an end to the ocean, but she wants more than the ocean.

 

Greed doesn't seem to be a thing only humans face.

 

It's not that she doesn't love the ocean, though that's what everyone around her seems to think when she wonders out loud how it'd be like to be human. The ocean is home, and it will always be no matter what. Yerim just gets the feeling that the ocean, as huge as it is, isn't enough. And there's so much more on land, an infinite amount of potential. Is it so bad to wish that she could get to experience that for herself?

 

Apparently it is, because when she's back in the depths of the ocean she sees her mother swimming over to her disapprovingly, looking as though she's been waiting for Yerim for a long time. "Were you at the surface again?" Yerim says nothing, and her mother sighs wearily. "Do you still think you can be human? I thought you'd have given up on that by now. Why can't you be satisfied with the ocean, like everyone else is?"

 

Yerim feels a flash of irritation at this, but she continues to hold her tongue and after a minute her mother swims away, telling Yerim over her shoulder to hurry back. When she's so far away that her figure is as big as Yerim's thumb, Yerim finally allows herself to relax. She lets out a loud sigh as she swims to a nearby rock to perch on and think. Her mother's words are still clear in her mind, and as much as Yerim wants to feel upset that no one understands her, she can't, because her mother is right. She's not satisfied with the ocean.

 

She hasn't realised that she said that out loud until she hears a voice directly behind her. "You're not satisfied with the ocean?" In the blink of an eye, Yerim has gotten off the rock and swam a short distance away, staring at the rock in surprise. She hears a laugh, and the voice speaks again. "Well, you haven't answered my question. Are you satisfied with the ocean?"

 

Yerim bites her lip as she replies slowly, "No. I'm not." There's silence for a beat or two and then Yerim sees a disturbance in the water. She looks to the source of it and finds another mermaid behind the rock. She looks just slightly older than Yerim herself, but the look in her eyes makes her appear much more mature. She's also very pretty, but Yerim can't remember ever seeing her around before.

 

As Yerim's trying to think if she's seen the other mermaid before, the mermaid in question speaks. "I could help you with that." She says it confidently, and despite how strange this situation is, Yerim finds herself intrigued. "Who are you?" She asks, and the mermaid replies simply, "Sooyoung. Do you want to hear how I can help you?" She's all business, and Yerim decides to hear her out.

 

"Sure, tell me then." Sooyoung stares at Yerim for a couple of seconds, and the look in her eye is calculating. Yerim's slightly unsettled, but she immediately forgets any discomfort she was feeling when Sooyoung speaks again. "I can make you human."

 

* * *

 

Now it's Yerim's turn to stare, or rather gape, at Sooyoung. Sooyoung looks perfectly calm, as though she hasn't just told Yerim the most important sentence she's wanted to hear for years. And Yerim... can't quite believe her. "How can you? It's not exactly possible to make mermaids human, in case you haven't noticed yet." Yerim looks at her skeptically, but Sooyoung just laughs. "It's entirely possible, most mermaids just don't know of it. All you have to do is sign a contract with me."

 

Yerim wrinkles her nose. "Sign a contract? What exactly would I be doing if I signed it?" "You'll be giving up everything that makes you a mermaid. Your tail, your ability to breathe underwater... And you won't be able to get those back. Ever. But you'll be a human for the rest of your life." Yerim considers this carefully. It sounds reasonable, to give up those for becoming human. But Sooyoung breaks her train of thought when she adds on in a grave voice, "There's one last part to this contract. I'll be taking the love you get. All those who love you will eventually leave you."

 

Yerim looks at her in confusion. "Why do you need that?" Sooyoung smiles a bit at this, but the serious expression on her face remains. "I'll use them for... experiments." It's vague, and when Yerim raises an eyebrow Sooyoung merely shrugs. "You didn't ask who I was known as, so I didn't see the need to tell you. Most know me as the witch."

 

Yerim didn't think it was possible for her to be even more shocked than she already was, but she was wrong. The witch? She'd heard of a witch living around this part of the ocean, sure, but she hadn't been expecting the witch to look so... ordinary. Sooyoung seems to have guessed her thoughts, and says, "Well, this is probably a lot for you to take in at once. I guess you should have some time to think, so come back here tomorrow morning at nine and tell me what your decision is." Yerim nods, and Sooyoung turns and fades back into the shadows.

 

* * *

 

That night, Yerim stays awake thinking. Sooyoung's offer is good, so good that it's almost unbelievable. But for all those who love her to leave her... Then again, wouldn't she be leaving them if she becomes human? These thoughts bounce around in her mind, and she finds herself thinking of the people she loves. Her family, her only friend Joohyun... It's not a long list. And they all know how much Yerim wants to be human. Surely they'd understand her?

 

And by the time dawn breaks and the members of her family all wake up one by one, Yerim has made her decision. She's going to become human.

 

The first person she tells is Joohyun, who comes to find her. "Where were you yesterday, Yerim? I tried to look for you but I couldn't find you." Yerim lowers her voice and says to Joohyun, "You'll never believe this, but I was talking to someone who can make me human."

 

Yerim doesn't know how she was expecting Joohyun to react, but laughing right in her face definitely wasn't it. "You're right, I don't believe you," Joohyun says when her laughter subsides, and Yerim feels that same irritation she felt when her mother was talking to her the day before. "It's true! I met the witch, and she said it's possible."

 

At the mention of the witch, Joohyun stops laughing completely. "You saw the witch?" Yerim nods and tells Joohyun all about the meeting, and when she's done Joohyun is looking at her with a look that's hard to decipher. 

 

"You're going to go ahead with it and become human, aren't you?" Joohyun's question comes out more as a statement, and Yerim nods. Joohyun's eyes narrow. "I don't think you should. Are you even sure you can trust the witch?" That thought had occurred to Yerim sometime in the night, and although she couldn't completely trust Sooyoung, the promise of becoming human was something that Yerim simply couldn't pass up. "No, I'm not sure I can trust her, but you know how much I want to become human." She looks into Joohyun's eyes, and she sees something that looks suspiciously like worry flash through them for an instant. But then Joohyun's moving back, and speaking softly so Yerim has to strain her ears to hear.

 

"It doesn't seem like you'll change your mind whatever I say, so... Good luck." Joohyun turns to swim away, but Yerim's whispered thanks stops her. After a second, Yerim decides to add, "I'll miss you." Joohyun turns at this and looks at Yerim. Her gaze is so piercing that Yerim shrinks back a little, but Joohyun doesn't seem to notice. In the end, all she says is, "I'll miss you too." And she swims away, but pauses to tell Yerim, "I'll tell your family after you've... gone."

 

Joohyun's thoughtfulness causes a lump to form in Yerim's throat. Yerim had been worrying over how to tell her family that she would be leaving for good, but she knew that it would be alright to trust Joohyun to give them the news. With the issue of telling those who were most important to her out of the way, all she had left to do was meet Sooyoung again to tell her what she had decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter one is pretty short, but it's important to the story. the real stuff starts to happen in chapter two though!


	2. two

 

Yerim had been waiting for ten minutes by the time Sooyoung arrived, and before Sooyoung could say anything, Yerim blurted out, "I'll do it. I'll sign the contract with you." Sooyoung raises an eyebrow at how eager Yerim is, but nods and procures the contract out of what seems like nowhere.

 

"You can read through it, everything's the same as what I told you yesterday." Yerim skims through the document quickly, and Sooyoung's right, it's all the same. She's passed a pen, but before she does anything she looks at Sooyoung straight in the eye. "You can really make me a human, right? I can trust you?" The second sentence is said quietly, but Sooyoung hears it all the same and gives her a reassuring pat on the back. "Yeah. You can."

 

Yerim takes a deep breath and signs on the bottom of the contract, and Sooyoung takes it back. "A word of advice for you. Even if things don't go well, don't think too much about the ocean. It's not your home anymore." Yerim would reply Sooyoung, but the dizzy feeling she's had ever since she signed the contract overwhelms her before she can say anything.

 

* * *

 

When she comes to, she's lying on the sand of the beach. She scrambles up on her feet immediately, and she freezes on the spot. She has feet now. She's more used to it than she thought she would be, walking almost effortlessly even though it's something completely new to her. She wanders around the beach taking in the view, and it's really something to look out at the sea with sand beneath her toes and the sun shining warmly on her face. Before, when she could only look out at land with water surrounding her, even if the sun was shining on her all she could feel was a coldness in her heart.

 

Yerim closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, savouring the moment, but it's cut short very abruptly when someone walking past bumps into her. She opens her eyes when she hears a muttered "Sorry" and she looks over to see a guy around her age, who's surprisingly well-built and carrying a folding easel and canvas.

 

She's just about to tell him it's okay when his eyes widen and he says to her sheepishly, "Uh, some of the paint from my canvas got onto your shirt." She glances at where he's pointing at and he's right, there's a streak of sky blue on her white tee. He hesitates for a while, but then moves the easel and canvas under one arm and uses his free hand to take his phone out of his pocket. "Here, give me your number. I'll pay for the cost of cleaning your shirt, or you can get a new one." Yerim is surprised by this, and she takes the phone and just holds it in her hand because she doesn't have a number to give him.

 

When she doesn't type her number into his phone, he raises an eyebrow. "Do you not have a phone?" She nods silently and his eyebrow goes even higher, before he asks, "Where do you live then?" Once again, Yerim can't answer him. Even though it's just been a short time since she's left the ocean, she finds herself desperately wishing she was back. She had known that it'd be difficult becoming human, but she hadn't anticipated having her first interaction with another human being quite so awkward.

 

At Yerim's silence, he says carefully, "Do you not have a home too?" All Yerim can do is nod again, and the look of concern on his face changes to something bordering on shock. He looks like he wants to say more, but he takes a glance at the watch on his wrist and startles. "I think you should walk with me, I have to get somewhere important now and since we still haven't figured out what to do with your shirt..."

 

Yerim walks next to him in silence, and he looks slightly nervous at how quiet it is. After a few minutes, he clears his throat and says, "I'm Jungkook." Yerim looks at him and replies, "I'm Yerim." With introductions done, they reach what appears to be a very old, beat up car. Jungkook bites his lip and tells Yerim, "I have to get back to school to submit this painting, but after that I'm free. You don't mind taking my car to school and waiting for a while, do you?" Yerim has all the time in the world, so she tells him that she's fine with that, and that's how she finds herself sitting in the passenger seat of Jungkook's old car as they head towards his school.

 

It's still awkward between them, but less so, especially when Jungkook turns on the radio. Yerim looks out of the window and observes the scenery passing by in a blur, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she's human now. Jungkook looks over at her a couple of times and wonders what she's thinking about so deeply that her forehead is furrowed, and he hums along to the songs being played as his mind comes up with scenarios to explain how this girl who has appeared so suddenly in his life has no phone or home.

 

* * *

 

It only takes a short while before they reach Jungkook's school. It's the most well-known art school in the country, and Jungkook rolls his shoulders back and takes a deep breath as he prepares to speak to his professor about his most recent artwork - the one that had stained Yerim's shirt. Yerim just follows behind him quietly as he walks briskly ahead of her, his footsteps sure and unfaltering.

 

He heads over to a building with the words "Art Faculty" on it, and he pushes the main door open. Yerim walks behind and goes through long hallways with many twists and turns that never seem to end, until Jungkook finally pushes open yet another door which opens up to a big, well-lit room.

 

"Jungkook! Finally here to submit your assignment?" A woman who looks about in her thirties, dressed in a plain black tee and jeans, turns at the sound of the door opening and greets Jungkook. He nods and passes her the canvas he was holding. She takes it and puts it down next to her, before turning her attention over to Yerim, standing next to Jungkook.

 

"Who's this, Jungkook?" There's a slight teasing lilt to her voice, and a faint pink colours Jungkook's cheeks. "She's just..." He hesitates for a moment, clearly unsure what to call her, and eventually decides on, "A friend. She's my friend." The woman raises an eyebrow at this, but lets it go and when Jungkook says that they have to leave, she bids them a cheery goodbye, telling Yerim, "Come by again if you're around the area, I have many stories about Jungkook!" When he hears this, Jungkook hastens his footsteps, forcing Yerim to hurry too so she won't get lost in this huge campus. 

 

* * *

 

When they're out in the open and walking back towards the parking lot, both of them are silent until Jungkook speaks. "Uh.. That was my senior. She likes to tease everyone, but she's really very kind." Yerim gives him a small smile in reply, and they lapse back into silence.

 

It's a short walk, so in minutes they're back in Jungkook's car, and they climb in but Jungkook doesn't start the engine. He turns to Yerim and asks carefully, "Do you really not have a home?" Yerim doesn't see the point in lying to him, so she answers with a no. Jungkook exhales slowly and leans back in his seat, staring up at the sky and thinking. Yerim looks out of the window, observing all the other college students walking around enjoying the sunshine. She's looking at a couple sitting under a tree with sandwiches and a guitar, and the guy is saying something to the girl quietly. It must be something funny because she lets out a laugh that brings a smile to the guy's face. Yerim is staring so intensely at them that her hand lifts up to the window and her fingers rest gently on the tree, but she's interrupted when Jungkook clears his throat and speaks again.

 

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get here then?"

 

The question is simple, but it catches Yerim off guard. What can she say without sounding like a complete lunatic? Her mind is racing, trying to find an acceptable explanation, and after a few beats of silence and Jungkook looking intently at her, Yerim says the first thing that comes to her mind.

 

"I had a fight with my parents and they threw me out." Jungkook blinks and looks slightly surprised. "And you didn't bring anything with you..?"

 

"Um.... There was no time to." Jungkook opens his mouth again, probably to ask her to go back and seek forgiveness or something of the sort, and Yerim quickly continues speaking. "I can't go back, we live in the countryside and we were fighting about how they wouldn't let me come to the city to make my dreams come true. I barely had enough money to get here and now I'm kind of stuck..."

 

It sounds like something right out of a drama, and for a moment Yerim worries that she's gone overboard with this lie, but a look of sympathy comes over Jungkook's face, and he says, "Well, if it's like that... This might sound slightly inappropriate, but do you want to go to my apartment?"

 

Yerim doesn't know how to reply to that, and her blank expression must give that away because Jungkook hurries to explain himself. "It's a small apartment but there's an empty bedroom. I was going to rent it out but you can stay there and when you get money you can pay me back..?" His voice falters towards the end of his sentence and he trails off uncertainly.

 

All that comes to Yerim's mind is  _How rich is he, that he has an apartment with an empty room when he's still a college student?_ But it's her only choice at the moment, so she nods and thanks Jungkook. He appears relieved when she agrees, and he starts the engine now that they have a clear destination ahead of them.

 

* * *

 

It's not that long a drive to Jungkook's apartment, and within half an hour they're there. It's small, but cozy and Yerim finds herself feeling at ease from the moment she walks in. Jungkook on the other hand seems tense, walking ahead quickly to pick clothes up off the floor and apologising for the mess. Yerim merely laughs it off and says, "It's okay, it's your apartment anyway." When she says this, Jungkook looks back at her in surprise, and Yerim realises that it's the most she's said to him besides when she was making up that elaborate lie about her getting kicked out. The atmosphere turns a little awkward after that, and Jungkook goes back to tidying the place while Yerim just sits on the couch.

 

She takes this time to look around the whole apartment, and it looks like it's been lived in for quite a while. There's a small TV, a tiny kitchen area that's basically part of the living room area, and many objects scattered around various surfaces. Items like watercolour paints, notebooks, pencils... They're almost everywhere. Yerim notices that Jungkook's done with tidying up and as he walks over, she stands up.

 

"Do you want to see your room?" Yerim answers with a sure and they walk through a short hallway, passing by two doors. The first is Jungkook's room, and the second is the toilet. When they reach the spare room - her room now - it's at the end of the hallway. When Yerim walks in, she's greeted by a bed, closet and a study table. It's the bare necessities, and nothing else. Jungkook stops next to the bed, looking thoughtful, and he says to Yerim after a few moments, "We'll go shopping for more things tomorrow."

 

Yerim wants to protest, Jungkook's being kind but she can't accept such generosity, especially when she has no money on her, but Jungkook stops all her words by giving her a bright smile. "It's fine, you can pay me back later. When you have the money, okay?"

 

Yerim's once again caught off guard, but this time for a completely different reason. Jungkook's smile was, for lack of a better word, dazzling, and she felt slightly overwhelmed by it. Jungkook doesn't seem to have noticed, however, and he walks around the room while talking to her. "Since you don't have clothes with you now, I'll pass you some of the clothes I've grown out of. They're kind of old, but it'll just be for tonight. Oh, and we have to share a toilet, but I don't think that'll be too much of a problem." He looks at her expectantly, waiting for a reply, and Yerim forces herself to stop thinking about his smile and answers, "Yeah, that's okay."

 

Jungkook turns to leave and take some of his clothes for her, when she suddenly speaks again, this time much more softly than before. "Thank you for everything. You're really very kind." Jungkook stops at the doorway, and he doesn't turn around when he replies but his voice is just as soft when he says, "It's no problem."

 

And then he continues walking, maybe faster than before, and Yerim sits on the bed, left alone for a few minutes. She lets out a long sigh as she tries to make sense of the day's events. So many things have happened in the span of a few hours that it seems like she's been human for weeks, maybe even a month, but in reality she was still a mermaid just that morning. She lies down on the bed, letting herself relax after that tiring day, and she ends up drifting off to sleep.

 

When Jungkook comes back into the room five minutes later with clothes for her and a blanket, he's met with the sight of Yerim sleeping soundly. And though she's still a stranger, this scene feels inexplicably familiar to him, and a small, fond smile lifts the corners of his lips as he places the clothes at the end of the bed and opens the blanket up before covering Yerim with it.

 

* * *

 

Yerim wakes up an hour later, disorientated and with a hazy mind, but she remembers where she's at when she sees the clothes on the bed. She only notices the blanket when it drops onto her lap when she sits up, and she immediately knows it's from Jungkook. A quick glance at the clock on the table tells her it's 6 p.m, and she gets up to take a quick shower before dinner, whatever Jungkook has planned for it.

 

She's in the bathroom now, and as she looks in the mirror and takes in her disheveled appearance, it occurs to her that Sooyoung was kinder to her than she had to be. Yerim is dressed in denim shorts and a pale pink tee, while Sooyoung could've just left her with something ugly that didn't fit her, or even without any clothes if she really couldn't be bothered.

 

Yerim thanks her lucky stars for small mercies like this and gets to showering, the hot water washing away her troubles temporarily and soothing her. She glances around the bathroom as she lets the water run down her back, and she sees that it's neat, with everything put nicely in place. She also spots a small bottle of mango body soap, and the thought of Jungkook using mango soap amuses her, for a reason even she doesn't understand.

 

* * *

 

Ten minutes later, Yerim steps out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and smelling faintly of mangoes. She goes back to her room to put her dirty clothes in a corner, and she sees Jungkook standing next to her bed. They make eye contact and both of them freeze there for a moment before Jungkook looks away, coughing to hide his embarrassment.

 

"Do the clothes fit you?" Yerim looks down at what she's wearing - an oversized black tee and a pair of sweatpants she had to pull hard at the drawstring of to keep them on her waist, as well as roll up the legs of because they were too long. They're obviously too big for her, but she's glad to have clean clothes to wear, so she replies with a smile, "More or less."

 

Jungkook relaxes a little and looks at her again. "Since we're both dressed casually, do you want to just order pizza or something like that for dinner?" It's at this moment that Yerim realises that Jungkook has showered and changed too, probably when she was sleeping. She doesn't even have to think before she tells Jungkook yes, she would love pizza for dinner.

 

After Jungkook has ordered the pizza, they sit next to each other on the couch in companionable silence, Yerim feeling excited at the thought of eating pizza. "I wonder how it's like," The thought slips out of her mouth before she can stop herself and Jungkook looks up from his phone with a questioning look in his eyes. "You wonder how what's like?" Yerim internally slaps herself before quickly answering, "Um, your phone!" Jungkook glances down at his phone in confusion, before looking up again with what appears to be some sympathy in his expression.

 

"You didn't have a phone?" Yerim shakes her head no, and Jungkook moves over so they're sitting even closer, his leg right next to hers. He passes her his phone, and she holds it in both hands, not knowing what to do with it. He smiles at this and uses one finger to swipe at the screen, showing her all the apps he has and explaining how to play some of the games. Yerim's fascinated by Bump Sheep, and Jungkook humours her, playing round after round and observing Yerim's reactions. Her face is full of life, her brows furrowing when one of her tiny white sheep are pushed back by his normal sized black sheep, and her eyes shining when a long chain of her sheep are able to win over his sheep. After seeing how happy she is when she wins, Jungkook may or may not have let her win most of the matches.

 

* * *

 

All too soon, the pizza arrives, and Jungkook puts his phone on the table as they prepare to eat. Yerim's eyes are almost glittering as she looks at the pizza, and right after Jungkook opens the box and passes her a slice she puts it into her mouth and takes a huge bite. She chews slowly and a look of pure bliss transforms her features. "This is so good!" Jungkook can only laugh at her reaction, and he takes a small bite of his slice of pizza as he asks her, "Are you that hungry?" Yerim seems to suddenly be reminded of who she's with and how she's eating, and her cheeks turn redder as she lowers her pizza, biting her lip and mumbling out a "No, I'm not very hungry."

 

Jungkook laughs even harder at this, and before he can check himself he uses his clean hand to pat her on the head. "You're cute." Yerim stares at him in shock, and when Jungkook realises what he's done the atmosphere turns slightly awkward. At a loss as to how to make things less awkward, Jungkook quickly grabs his phone and stutters, "Do you.. want to play more Bump Sheep?" Yerim looks up at him again and shrugs, and Jungkook places the phone back down on the table between the two of them so they can play.

 

* * *

 

When they're done eating, it's barely 8 p.m, but the day has exhausted both of them and they both decide to turn in early, Jungkook telling Yerim that they'll go shopping tomorrow since it's a Saturday and he doesn't have to go to school. Back in her room, Yerim lies back down on the bed and turns to the side so she's facing the window and looks out at the night sky. She can't see stars, Seoul has too many lights for stars to be seen, but she still enjoys the view. Looking at the sky and thinking about how drastically things have changed, Yerim finds herself actually anticipating whatever's coming next. After all, things could've turned out a lot worse than how they have, and the optimist in her wants to hope that it'll only get better from here on. She falls asleep thinking about this, with a small smile on her face.


	3. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm finally back to this after almost three months! i'd like to say i'll update this more often, but i don't think that'll be very possible right now. however, i will definitely finish this - i know where i want this to go and how i want it to end so i won't be giving up on it halfway :-) in the meantime while you wait for the next chapter (if you're even waiting) here's another 2000+ word chapter of yerim and jungkook.

The next morning, Yerim wakes up to Jungkook patting her shoulder. When she opens her eyes, she sees Jungkook standing over her, and he quickly straightens up from the half-crouching position he was in when he sees that she's awake. "Uh, sorry. I was about to wake you up," he coughs awkwardly, and Yerim sits up, suddenly conscious of how she must have looked while she was sleeping. _Was I drooling? Or was my mouth open? I hope he didn't smell my morning breath._

But she doesn't let any of these thoughts show on her face, instead plastering on a smile and telling Jungkook, "It's okay, I'll just go wash up and then we can go." Jungkook leaves the room and Yerim stays on the bed a while longer, trying to sort her thoughts out.

 

The first thing to do is to brush her teeth, obviously. She should also probably take a quick shower and change into other clothes - she's pretty sure the shorts she had on yesterday are still clean enough to be worn again. And then after that, she can go out and have breakfast. This routine feels way too normal for her, considering all the strange events that have led to her being here on this bed, but she's not going to complain if she can fit in faster than expected.

 

With a plan now formed in her mind, Yerim gets up and heads out of the room, ready to face the day.

 

* * *

 

Half an hour later, they're out of the house and headed to the nearby mall. Jungkook's driving again, and once again the radio's turned on. Yerim doesn't know any of the songs that are being played, but she enjoys listening to them all the same, particularly when she observes Jungkook nodding along to certain songs and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. When a particularly catchy song is being played, Jungkook starts humming along softly, and at the chorus he sings quietly. The sound of his voice shocks Yerim – she never expected him to be able to sing that well. She turns to look at him, and Jungkook notices from the corner of his eyes and immediately stops singing, his cheeks flushed. Noticing his embarrassment, Yerim hurries to reassure him. “I wasn’t looking at you because your singing is bad! I really like your voice. You sing well.” Jungkook flushes even more at this, but he also appears to be slightly intrigued. “Do you really think so?” Yerim nods enthusiastically, and a small smile graces his features. A thought pops into Yerim’s mind unbidden: _He’s beautiful._ And then she shakes her head to clear her head, but the thought stays. She sneaks a glance at Jungkook again, now back to humming along to the radio. He really is beautiful, in an understated way. Nice facial features, and a smile that she wouldn’t mind looking at for a long time. These thoughts make Yerim embarrassed, and she looks out of the window on her side so Jungkook doesn’t see her blush. However, after noticing the sudden movement, Jungkook glances over and sees a faint pink on her cheeks. It could be from anything, even the weather – it’s kind of warm today – but somehow Jungkook hopes that it has something to do with him.

 

* * *

 

At the mall, Yerim has no idea what she wants or needs, so Jungkook takes the lead and walks around with large, confident steps, leaving Yerim following behind closely. First off, they go to a smartphone shop, and Jungkook walks up to the counter and tells the employee without hesitation that he wants an iPhone 7. Yerim stands behind with a polite smile on her face, not sure what he’s talking about but since he seems to know what he’s doing, she’s trusting him. The employee goes to the storage room and returns with a box that she places on the counter. Jungkook takes the phone out carefully and passes it to Yerim. The phone looks tiny in his hands, but when she takes it from him she realises it’s actually rather huge. Jungkook looks at her hands thoughtfully before asking the employee if he could look at an iPhone 6S instead, and once again the employee disappears into the storage room only to return with another similar looking box. This phone fits in Yerim’s hand much better, and this time Jungkook decisively tells the employee, “We’ll take this.”

 

He hands his credit card over, and as the employee is ringing up his purchase she offhandedly remarks, “You’re so sweet to buy a phone for your girlfriend! I wish my boyfriend would spoil me like this too.” Yerim blinks in confusion at this while Jungkook turns as red as the iPhone 7 he had initially considered buying for Yerim. “We’re not.. together,” he stutters out, but the woman merely gives him a patronizing smile and whispers to Yerim confidentially, “Has he not wanted to make things official yet? Just give him a while more!” And with a wink and a nudge, they’re sent on their way out of the smartphone shop to their next destination.

 

While they walk to a clothing shop, Yerim asks Jungkook, “What did you mean when you said we’re not together? We are, aren’t we?” Jungkook’s eyes widen at this question, but when he looks over and sees Yerim’s innocent gaze, he realises that she doesn’t understand the term. “Well, being together basically means… being boyfriend and girlfriend.” He coughs quickly at the end of his sentence to hide the embarrassment he feels, and it must have caught on because Yerim clears her throat and chokes out an, “Oh, I see” before they both lapse back into silence.

 

By this time, they’ve arrived at the clothing store, and Jungkook asks Yerim, “Is there anything in particular that you want?” He’s answered with a shrug and so he takes it upon himself to find clothes for her, not wanting to repeat the experience with the employee in the smartphone shop. He has a surprisingly good sense of style, passing Yerim clothes that she finds she actually likes, and after trying them all on she realises they fit perfectly. When Jungkook sees how much she likes the clothes, he buys them all, leaving Yerim with no room to argue. “You’ll need to wear more than a few sets of clothes anyway,” he reasons when Yerim tries to protest, so she’s forced to accept the clothes as Jungkook won’t budge.

 

With the most important things now bought, it’s already lunchtime. As they wander around somewhat aimlessly, Jungkook brings up going for lunch. “What do you want to eat?” He asks, but he doesn’t get an answer. When he turns behind to check if Yerim is listening to him, he notices with dread that Yerim is nowhere to be seen. After looking around frantically to try and spot Yerim, he still cannot see her, and he breaks into a run back in the direction they came from to try and find her.

 

It takes only about a minute for him to find her, because she’s only a short distance away at a toy shop. She was staring transfixed at a toy dolphin, and when Jungkook spots her standing there holding the dolphin in her arms, any worry and anger he felt ebbs away. Sure, it had been scary to almost lose her, but she’s fine and happy with the dolphin. He walks up behind her and takes her hand, leading her to the cashier to pay for the dolphin. Yerim is extremely surprised at how he’s holding her hand, but she goes along with it anyway, and thanks him profusely for buying the dolphin. He gives her a smile when he says it’s no problem, and maybe her heart skips a beat there, but no one else knows.

 

Now headed to lunch again, Jungkook is still holding on to Yerim’s hand tightly. He notices her staring down at their hands, and quickly says, “It’s so we won’t get separated again. This place is huge and you’re so small.” The mall isn’t actually all that crowded, but Yerim’s okay with this.

 

* * *

  

After lunch, they’re back to walking around. The mall is big and they’ve got plenty of time since it’s still early afternoon, so Jungkook tells Yerim to just go wherever catches her eye. This is how they end up in a bakery at 2 p.m, with Yerim staring hungrily at the assortment of bread and cakes on display even though they just had ramen only an hour ago. A kind-looking elderly woman notices them just standing and looking outside the shop, and she comes out to invite them in. After they’re inside and talking, it turns out that she’s the owner of the shop. She’s patient with both of them, especially Yerim’s questions about bread and how to make them smell as good as they do. Jungkook just stands at a side with his hands stiffly at his sides, waiting for an appropriate time to drag Yerim out so they don’t disturb the old lady. However, the old lady takes note of his discomfort and gets him to join in the conversation with a gentle, “It’s alright, business is usually slow at this time and it’s been a while since I’ve talked to someone like this.”

 

So Jungkook and Yerim end up staying for a couple of hours, and they even help out when a group of mothers come in at 3.30 p.m with a bunch of toddlers all clamouring for bread. The old lady observes their movements silently with a smile on her wrinkled face, and when they’re about to leave she suddenly says, “I have a proposal. Would the young lady want to work with me? It won’t be much pay, but it’ll be enough to get along. I’ve liked her company today and I think it’ll be nice to have someone else around here.” Jungkook looks at Yerim for her response, and to his shock he sees tears in her eyes. “Of course I’d want to! Thank you for offering, I’d love to work here.”

 

After exchanging details, Jungkook and Yerim finally leave at 5 p.m, and Jungkook decides to get Chinese takeaway for dinner before going home. Back in the apartment, they’re both exhausted from the long day and after both of them eat dinner and shower, Jungkook spends an hour explaining how to use Yerim’s new phone. It comes as no surprise that the first thing Yerim chooses to download is Bump Sheep, but what does surprise Jungkook is that she asks him what the songs that were playing on the radio were. She then searches them up and plays them quietly as they both relax.

 

A good fifteen minutes pass before Yerim breaks the silence. In a soft voice, she thanks Jungkook for the fun day out. “You really didn’t have to spend so much on me, and I know I’m going to pay you back for all this but it still makes me feel bad anyway. I’m glad I got a job so quickly though, I’ll work hard and earn the money I need to repay you.” Jungkook shakes his head, “It’s alright. Really. Just take it as I got them as gifts for you.” But Yerim refuses this, and in the end they come to a compromise – Yerim will accept the clothes as a gift, but she’ll pay him back for the phone. It’s something they can both live with, and after that mild disagreement it’s late enough for both of them to be sleepy. Jungkook suggests that they both go to sleep, and Yerim agrees.

 

Right before she enters her room, she glances over at Jungkook, who’s just about to step into his room. Both of them make eye contact, and Jungkook holds the gaze for a moment before he blinks and says, “I had fun today.” A surprised smile appears on Yerim’s face, but she quickly says, “Me too. Goodnight, Jungkook.” And that’s the end of their conversation for the night as she walks into the room and closes the door, but she can still hear Jungkook mutter to himself, “I like going out with you, Yerim.” His door shuts just a moment after that and she can hear him walking around in his room, but Yerim stays right in front of her door, a bright smile on her face and a hand on her heart that’s beating erratically after hearing his words.


	4. four

Time passes quickly. With Jungkook’s art keeping him busy, and Yerim’s job, they soon fall into a routine of sorts. They’re usually both out of the apartment in the daytime, with Yerim reaching home in the early evening and (trying her very best to) cook dinner so that Jungkook has something to eat when he’s home. It’s comfortable, and after a while it begins to feel like things have always been like this. It’s an unlikely friendship formed over burnt mac and cheese – Yerim developed a cooking style that involved dumping everything into a pot and hoping for the best, which didn’t always work out – but it’s nice.

 

One night, their conversation shifts from pleasant dinner talk to something a little more personal. “I’ve actually been wondering…” Jungkook starts, and Yerim looks up immediately. Even with her limited experience of the human world, she can tell that when anyone starts a sentence like that, what comes next usually isn’t something good.

 

“When we first met, you said that you argued with your parents about wanting to fulfill your dreams. But what exactly are your dreams?” Yerim lets out a small sigh of relief at that. It’s a question that mildly threw her off guard, of course, but it’s not something that’s too difficult.

 

“Well, I really want to be a singer. But my parents thought that it’d be impossible to become a professional singer. It’s difficult, I know, but is it a crime to wish that one day, you can become someone you always wanted to be…?” As she speaks, what was originally a lie has truth seep into it, as she thinks of the time when she longed so badly to be a part of this world, and her wistful tone doesn’t go unnoticed by Jungkook. He clears his throat somewhat awkwardly and replies, “I’ve never actually heard you sing, but I’m sure that you’re good at it. And I think that even if you don’t end up realising your dream, you’ll eventually still become someone that your parents are proud of.”

 

From the way he speaks, it’s clear that Jungkook meant every word he said, and it hits Yerim hard. How can someone be so _kind_? All of a sudden, the thought to tell him everything. from the real reason why she’d been at the beach the first time they met, to how she’s been lying blatantly every time he’s asked her pretty much anything about herself, roots itself in her mind. The guilt that claws at her throat and wills her to spill her guts is so great that she almost succumbs to it, but she just barely stops herself when she thinks of how he might react.

 

It’s unfair to him, after he’s been nothing but welcoming about the disturbance that is her presence in his life, but she can’t bring herself to ruin this. So she bites her lip, and merely responds with, “Thank you. That really means a lot to me.” The words sound distant, and Jungkook looks slightly concerned, but before he can say anything more she gets up from the dining table and excuses herself.

 

“I’m really tired today, so I’m going to take a shower now and sleep early. Goodnight.” With that, she walks away quickly, leaving Jungkook staring after her.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, she wakes up to an empty apartment. Jungkook has already left, but he’s made breakfast for her and left a sticky note on the table.

 

_I have to go back to school today, so I’m leaving earlier than usual. Hope the food will still be warm when you wake up – cold breakfast doesn’t usually taste nice._

_Also, sorry if I said anything to upset you last night. I really didn’t mean to._

_Have a good day today, and see you tonight. :)_

_Jungkook_

It’s just a small thing, Yerim repeats to herself as she slowly peels the sticky note off of the table and brings it to her room to stick on her table. It’s just a small thing, she whispers under her breath as she sits down to the scrambled eggs and ham Jungkook made for her, and prepares to tuck in. She would’ve repeated it more if she could, but the tears that roll down her face contradict her thoughts. She’s touched by his thoughtfulness, and feeling even more guilty than before.

 

And even though the food had long gone cold, it was still the best breakfast she’d ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> considering the long hiatus i took from this, a short chapter really isn't the best comeback... but! i'm pretty sure that more will be updated soon because i've been in the mood for writing recently (and also i actually made a resolution to finish this by the end of the year, and i sure hope i follow through on it)  
> anyway, if anyone is still reading this or happened to stumble across this for the first time, thank you for following this! i'll try my best to continue real quick.


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